Hold on to Hope

A beatiful and emotional read!
A.L. Jackson sure knows how to evoke feelings from her readers. Hold on to Hope follows Evan and Frankie Leigh on a rollercoaster of emotions. While this can easily be read as a standalone, there are other characters and backstories that make a lot of sense if you’ve read her other books. Hold on to Hope is a compelling second chance romance that has you hoping for the best for these two. Having grown up together, and then growing apart, will their pasts come back to haunt them, or will love prevail? Be prepared for an angsty read, but one that will leave you satisfied and wanting more. I can’t recommend this book enough!

ARC REVIEW

Saying that reading this book has been a wild ride would be an understatement.
I knew that going into it, I’d have a full mind and body and soul experience but I had never thought I’d feel this much for a book.

‘Hold On To Hope’ by the talented A.L. Jackson is a brand-new novel that brings you back to the beautiful craziness of Gingham Lakes and its inhabitants.

This is not a traditional love story, this is a beautifully emotional and raw story that follows fictional characters that most authors would be afraid to represent with stories that will break you in two just to help put you back together.

This is a book about young love and heartbreak, about fear and unfulfilled dreams, of forgotten wishes and painful regrets. This is a story that will have you sobbing from the very first page, a story that touches places in your soul you never knew existed, a story that will make you look at things differently and choose kindness and love over everything else.

Evan is an unconventional hero, a broken hero that will have to go through many challenges that will make him question his morals and decisions in order to grow. He is kind and sweet, very passionate and focused on what’s important to him, he is a lover, a fighter, a survivor. The word strong doesn’t even scratch the surface of what makes Evan, Evan. He might be a little different from anyone else, but he sure as h*ll doesn’t let that stop him. Especially when it comes to protect or just spend time with a certain Unicorn Girl, the one who’s always been by his side from the very beginning, the one that could destroy him if she wanted to, the one his soul is connected to.

Frankie Leigh is weird in the most beautiful way, she is quirky, smart and outgoing. She is not afraid to express herself and show her true self, she is uniquely cute and wild. She is a risk-taker, a life lover and a fearless warrior, she is strong and yet vulnerable, ready to fight with all her might for her family, but most importantly for the boy that has owned her heart since the age of 5. She is fiery and devoted, kind to every single soul she meets and even if she is a little broken inside too, she would do anything to help others and make her loved ones happy.

Evan and Frankie Leigh have been through a lot *lot* during their lives, but they have almost always been by each other’s side when they needed it the most.
And I say almost because while reading this book you will see and understand how one decision can change the course of their lives forever, how time apart only helped them grow into the best version of themselves and how a love so strong can come back from a hurt so fierce and violent it almost broke them both.

This book will show you how unconditional love works, how being different is not a bad thing, the effect secrets can have on life and the power of a single soul can have on you.

‘Hold On To Hope’ is powerfully thought-provoking, emotionally touching and so well written, you can’t help but fall in love with these quirky and unconventional characters.

This is a very strong book, full of passion and hope that life is not as scary as it seems, this book is mysterious and unique, a tangle of experiences never written before.
A masterpiece for the heart and soul of the readers. A must-read that will attach your emotions from every direction in the most beautiful ways. A loving book you don’t want to miss out on.

I’m not normally a fan of children in romance books, but while reading the Fight For Me series I found two youngsters who left an indelible mark on my heart. Learning that they were going to take center stage in a story of their own had me counting down the days until today when we discover what’s happened since we last saw them. What’s happened is years of friendship becoming something more before self-doubts tore them apart. From the first page to the last readers go on an angst-filled journey with a bit of suspense, and a lot of forgiveness, in a story of second chances.

Evan’s early years were difficult with genetic defects that left him needing a heart transplant as well as deaf. His health was always fragile, leaving those around him constantly on pins and needles, and him in and out of hospitals. The one bright spot throughout it all was Frankie Leigh, a young girl who accepted him unconditionally and brought him endless joy courtesy of her smiles and their deepening connection that had her seeing him as a hero. As he got older though he started feeling like a burden. He wanted to be his own man and release his family from the constant fear of what might happen to him. He didn’t want to be treated as a child in need of protection, with his life a ticking time bomb, so he made a choice that made sense at the time but ends up hurting him and those around him. He’s back home now though and ready to make amends, as well as win back Frankie’s heart, but secrets from the past will add a roadblock or two along the way to a hard-fought HEA. Evan is a hero with imperfections, but those imperfections make him a hero worth rooting for as he’s survived all that befell him before. He has a kind and caring heart that had him determined to right the wrongs his leaving caused. Evan doesn’t return home alone though in an unexpected twist that adds a suspenseful element to a story that will already have you on edge. His time away has definitely matured him and he’s definitely all man now, a man ready to do right by his friends and family. Winning over Frankie is the most important thing to him in a journey that moves at a slow and steady pace that has him employing all sorts of sweet and sexy actions that endeared him to me all the more.

Frankie Leigh has always been a sweet and bubbly young lady, full of smiles and a kind heart. She was drawn to Evan from the moment they met and from there they were never apart. As Forrest Gump would say, they were like peas and carrots. Going from friends to something more just felt natural to her and as she looked towards the future all she saw was her and Evan. Despite his disabilities she saw him as her hero which brought out all her protective instincts, not because she saw him as weak but because she couldn’t see herself with anyone else but him. Evan’s leaving broke her heart though, blindsided her, and has left her leery of ever opening her heart again. His leaving was a betrayal to her considering their closeness and it will take a lot of work on his part to win her back, especially with her own secrets from the past that need to be dealt with. On a whole Frankie’s an immensely appealing heroine who’s close to her family as well as those close to Evan. Being close to them throughout the years made her feel close to him too as she could never truly let him go despite her feelings of betrayal. Frankie is a young woman of strong will whose secret was painful to hear while drawing me to her all the more for surviving it on her own. I enjoyed Frankie as a child and found myself cheering her on as an adult as she’s more than worthy of HEA.

This was an emotionally intense read that ran the gamut in its feelings of highs and lows between two unforgettable characters. As children Evan and Frankie were heartwarming and funny, while as adults they became more strong-willed but never forgot the importance of family. The connection between these two is quite obvious, the sexual tension surrounding them crackling, and despite the pain Evan’s leaving caused it’s more than clear that they’re destined to be together forever. Surrounding this likable main couple is a cast of characters readers have seen before from the Fight For Me series. I loved getting reacquainted with these characters and seeing where life has taken them after they found their HEAs. I was drawn to these characters from the very start and being so involved in their lives has me feeling like a member of the family. I hurt when they hurt and celebrated with them when Evan returned as everyone had a hand in helping Evan and Frankie find their way back to each other. From the first page to the last it’s an angsty journey to HEA for this delightful pairing, an endearing couple whose connection put a smile on my face. The extra bit of suspense that Evan brought home with him kept me glued to the pages even more in a near-perfect story that sometimes becomes a bit too flowery. Despite that small quibble Ms. Jackson is a master of familial connections and stories of friends-to-lovers and it’s what makes this story so unforgettable.

5 Can They Love Again Stars!!!

Oh My Stars!!! Evan and Frankie Leigh are EVERYTHING I wanted them to be!! Imagine thinking you’d never see the love of your life again and one day he strolls into the bakery where you work and your life changes on a dime!

This is the story of Evan and Frankie Leigh that everyone who’s read Ms. Jackson’s Fight for Me series has been waiting for because it’s first of the kids stories and we all thought these two were destined for their HEA because they were each other’s everything…until one night three years ago and Frankie’s world crumbled!

This book had me in tears as much as it had me fanning myself from their love that still consumes them both. So many things have changed for them both and Ms. Jackson has written a book that gripped me from beginning to ending.

While they may still love each other, there’s a level of trust that has been lost by Evan leaving and as much as Frankie wans to run straight into his arms, she’s not sure her heart could take it if he breaks her again. I loved how Frankie didn’t make it easy for Evan. I mean, he’s going to need to work to get this woman and her love back!

This book is one of the many reasons that I love Ms. Jackson. She writes from the heart and doesn’t make it easy on us or her characters! Their love needs to be fought for but it’s a love that will never die!

Overall Grade:

“Because the second it hit, I was done for. Annihilated. Decimated. A crack of thunder that rang of paradise Otherworldly. Our connection unlike anything possible. This boy the other half of my soul And we were there together, shooting toward the stars where we soared.”

Do you read a book and your heart feels like it’s beating out of your chest as you progress through the story? Usually, I feel this during a particularly angsty romance, although rom-coms also provide moments where this can happen. In A.L. Jackson’s newest romance, Hold on to Hope, this was a constant state of being. From the start of the book until its end, I felt as though I had run a race. My heart pounded and my stomach dropped through this telling of best friends turned lovers. In the few books I’ve read of Jackson’s, this is her modus operandi, her craft. She has this ability to grab your soul and invest it within the pages of her story. Hold on to Hope is no different.

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At its core, this romance is about soulmates. It’s about finding that person and holding on to them for as long as you can. It’s also about the temporality of life. That we need to live each day because we aren’t promised the next. Sometimes, when faced with serious, potentially fatal health issues, it can stunt a person’s understanding that life is meant to be lived each day, not placed on hold, and Jackson’s story challenges us in this fact.

Hold on to Hope follows the story of Evan and Frankie Leigh. We’ve met them in two other Jackson books, Show Me the Way and Follow Me Back. In those stories, Evan and Frankie Leigh are the children of the heroes/heroines. On first meeting, Evan and Frankie Leigh become fast friends. Not just friends, but best friends. There is a metaphysical connection that binds these two together. As they grow older, this connection morphs into feelings of deep love. Yet, Evan’s health complicates their future, and he makes a decision for them that changes its path. In doing so, it breaks a fundamental trust in their relationship. This potentially damages their future. Until it doesn’t. As the story progresses, Evan must fight for his love with Frankie Leigh. While doing this, the two of them must fight against a predatory outsider who threatens them and their future life together.

Hold on to Hope is a beautifully wrought tale of acceptance. Evan struggles with his health diagnoses and believes he is more hindrance than helpmate. He believes his life is better if he keeps himself away from the people who love him because his life seems temporary, at least to him. His mind is tunnel-visioned, and he deeply hurts his loved ones in his inability to accept that people want whatever time they can have with him. He’s short-sighted. When a surprise changes his life, he recognizes quickly that he needs his family and friends, specifically Frankie Leigh, in his life, and he returns to make amends. For me, it’s at this point that I fell in love with Evan. Honestly, I understood his decision to leave his family and Frankie Leigh, but it seemed more selfish than selfless, and it took me some time to accept him back. When he decides to pursue Frankie Leigh and make amends as a way to live his future with her, Jackson shows us his power and depth of love. Their chemistry is palpable. Each page of this story felt heavy with want and need. That is Jackson’s craftsmanship. That’s her strength.

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As I felt the chemistry and love between Frankie Leigh and Evan, I questioned how Jackson creates this. I mean, it’s palpable. I found my heart pounding in worry that these two wouldn’t find their way back to each other. I felt tension and heat when they finally do reconcile, and I felt anxious during the final action of this story. And I pondered over Jackson’s ability to keep this level of erotic and story tension throughout her romance. It’s the rope that binds you to her story, honestly. She creates this through the phrasing of her words. She’s a master of the well-placed fragment and simple sentence, and that one-two combination builds the depth of her story in its words. Over and over again, my heart felt pummelled by her craft. I mean this in the best of ways because I want to feel deeply when I read a romance, not something transitory, but something immersive. Jackson does this flawlessly in Hold on to Hope.

Above it all, Frankie Leigh is the best combination of heroic qualities. She is tenacious when necessary, vulnerable as a way to connect our heart to hers, and she loves deeply and fervently. Honestly, there were times when I wanted her to turn her back on Evan as a way to protect her heart from him because she gave it to him so readily. In fact, there is an image that Jackson paints in the flashbacks of Frankie Leigh and Evan’s story that illustrate the depth and breadth of Frankie Leigh’s love for Evan. It’s so beautifully drawn on the page that it will make you cry. Frankie Leigh’s wildness and fervor for life along with her love for Evan and his life are, quite frankly, THE best part of Jackson’s Hold on to Hope.

If you want to know the heart of this book, it is the soul connection between Evan and Frankie Leigh, the Unicorn Girl and the Froggy boy. These two are chemically and spiritually connected to each other in ways that seem important. And their connection is the ultimate beauty of Hold on to Hope. I have yet to read all of A.L. Jackson’s booklist. It isn’t that I don’t love her. It’s simply that her books take little pieces of my soul. I invest my heart in her characters and their stories, and it requires time and patience to allow them to take little bits of me. Jackson is a master craftswoman in the art of the angsty romance. Her ability to pull at you, to show the power of deep abiding love, and to remind you of the need to live a life surrendered to its heart, make her an important storyteller in the world of romance. Hold on to Hope offers the best of all these qualities.

A.L. Jackson is phenomenal at sucking you in and making you fall in love with her characters!!! Hold on to Hope is every single thing you could want in a story. It’s got drama, it has beautiful, real characters. It has love, it has humor. And for me. It is a non stop roller coaster of emotions. I cried. I smiled. I swooned. I laughed. I screamed. I was angry. I was hopeful…The whole thing was exceptional from the first word. I cannot say enough about Evan and Frankie Leigh. They were a story I wasn’t expecting and I’m so glad to have gotten it.

Whew….Frankie & Evan took me on one emotional journey! I enjoyed seeing Evan learn that he made a big mistake leaving, and then taking the necessary steps to fix them. I also loved seeing him show Frankie that she can trust him this time around. GAH! So many feels! Just a great book all around.

Hold on to Hope is A.L Jackson’s newest emotional filled friends to lovers romance. You can read it as standalone. At the same time if you read her Fight for Me series then you have met Evan and Frankie Leigh. As kids. Adorable and fast friends. Now they are all grown up and have their own fight to win.

Three years. It had been three years since Evan walked away and never looked back. Frankie Leigh was devastated. His family was crushed. They didn’t understand why he left. Why he felt he had to walk away. And now, three years later, he walked back into their lives. It was like nothing had changed except the void of losing him was gone but not forgotten. They wanted answers. He wanted forgiveness. Frankie Leigh was scared. She never stopped loving him. Her heart wouldn’t ever stop beating for him but what if he left again. It nearly killed her the first time.

Evan was back and he knew he needed to prove to them that he wouldn’t leave again. Three years of misery was long enough without them. It was something he felt he needed to do. Now he was back and ready to fight for what’s his.

I can’t get into it anymore but I will say it’s an emotional ride. A.L has a way of turning her poetry into stories. It was everything I expected and more. I didn’t even read the synopsis or any kind of teasers so I went in blind thinking these were new characters. Then I saw the name Frankie Leigh and was hit with it. I loved her in the Fight for Me series. She was adorable, fierce, smart, and wasn’t afraid of anything. And I saw then that her and Evan were little besties. He was just as adorable. Smart. Protective.

Overall…I loved every minute! I was so invested in their story and wanted them to find their ways. It is definitely one of my favorite A.L books to date! It gave me all the feels and had the perfect blend of them all.

Quotes:

“Clean up on aisle 4. You’re droolin’,” she said.
I shot her a glare. “Stop it,” I hissed.

“You’re wrong, Frankie Leigh. There is no amount of time that could ever erase who you are to me.”

“You are the definition of beauty, Frankie Leigh.”

Absolutely beautiful….

This is one of those books that you immediately fall in love with, that steals your heart and runs away with it. Evan and Frankie Leigh have a love that most people dream of. The consume each other and are each other’s halves.

Best friends, hurt, anger, love…..it’s all there. Frankie Leigh has loved Evan forever, when he left he broke her heart. Well now she’s back with a huge surprise.
I absolutely loved this wonderfully written book. I laughed, I cried… oh boy did I and I loved! You gotta check this one out.

Jackson slays every single emotion with Frankie Leigh & Evan’s story. If you never knew fictional kids could root themselves deep into your heart you haven’t met them yet.
I fell for these kids in their parents stories and have always held them close to my heart. I’m not ready for their story to be over. I NEED MORE froggy boy and unicorn girl!!!

Hold on to Hope is a powerful story of friendship, love, forgiveness, and most importantly accepting a person based on who they are.

I love the flashback scenes. They provide that little extra something that helps tie these characters’ deep rooted friendship and love to who they are today.

Frankie Leigh and Evan will stay with me for a long long time.